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Contents

1. Responding to Requests for Information
2. Initial Contact with Applicants
3. Preparation Course
4. Application Forms and Checks
5. Health
6. Personal References
7. Home Study/Assessment
8. Presentation to the Fostering Panel
9. After the Fostering Panel's Recommendation
10. Representations/Review Procedure
11. After the Approval
12. Register of Foster Carers

1. Responding to Requests For Information

In relation to every request received, a record will be kept containing the following information:

1. Full name, date of birth, address and telephone number;
2. Date of request;
3. Brief details of request for information including the source of interest;
4. Child care experience.

When an initial enquiry is made, the following will be clarified, if necessary, by a return telephone call:

• Matters in relation to the enquirer's accommodation;
• The enquirer's the family circumstances;
• The enquirer's immigration status.

In order to confirm whether enquirers can be regarded as prospective applicants.

A package of initial information will be sent to prospective applicants within one working day. This will include information about the assessment process, the checks to be made about applicants and members of the household and the time-scale involved. Confirmation that the pack has been sent will be recorded. 5 to 10 days after the information pack has been sent, if no further contact has been made by the enquirer, a follow up telephone call will be made.

After a further 4 weeks, a postcard will be sent to the potential applicants if they have not replied. If there is still no reply, further letters will be sent after 4 months and 12 months.

2. Initial Contact with Applicants

Within one working day of the receipt of a Reply Form, a fostering recruitment team social worker will contact the prospective applicants and a home visit will be arranged to take place within 7 working days of the receipt.

All those interested will also be invited to an Information Event - these will be held 6 times a year; however, attendance at an Information Event is not a pre-requisite to arranging a home visit.

Prior to the first home visit, a check will be made to see if the prospective applicant is known to Social Care Services.

In relation to prospective applicants who live or have lived outside Coventry, the check will be made with Social Care Services for the area where they live or have lived and the home visit should not take place until the result of the check is known. CMHT checks may also need to be obtained prior to visiting.

CRB checks will be completed at the initial visit stage if it is felt that the potential applicant is to be recommended to the next stage i.e. the preparation course. Ofsted and personal references are also applied for prior to the course, see section 6, Personal References.

Prospective applicants will also be asked at this stage to confirm their identity by showing two of the following documents - their passport, driving licence or medical card. In addition, birth and marriage certificates, naturalisation and any change of name documents should be seen and details recorded on the case record. The fostering worker should check the details of the identification against the information on the Criminal Records Bureau Form.

Once the home visit has taken place, the fostering recruitment team social worker will complete an Initial Visit Assessment Report within two working days.

A feedback form will be sent by the fostering recruitment team social worker to indicate the outcome, together with provisional dates for the preparation course, where appropriate. Feedback form and action points need to be agreed to and signed by the applicant and the social worker.

Prospective applicants will be advised not to pursue an application where they have recently faced significant challenges within their family, such as serious illness, pregnancy, separation or bereavement. Prospective applicants may also be counselled out of pursuing an application for a variety of reasons at any time during the course of the assessment process where it is considered that the application would be inappropriate, for example where there are concerns about the information obtained from checks or about the applicants' attempt to cover up information about offences.

3. Preparation Course

The attendance of prospective foster carers at a course of preparation meetings will form part of the assessment of their suitability as foster carers.

The Fostering Service will set up a calendar of meetings, which will provide a rolling programme of preparation.

Provisional invitations to the course may be given shortly after the initial visit to the prospective foster carer. Written invitations will also be sent out and replies coordinated by an identified worker so that any decisions to postpone can be made and meetings rescheduled promptly. Fostering application forms are normally issued at this point, prior to the course.

Preparation meetings provide an opportunity for the Fostering Service to find out more about the prospective foster carers and have a clearer idea of their strengths, areas for further work and any concerns, which need to be clarified as part of the assessment process.

The meetings are also aimed at self-assessment in that they enable prospective foster carers to find out more about fostering and help them discover their own strengths and weaknesses. Prospective foster carers attending the meetings will be asked to complete evaluation forms.

Where there are two prospective foster carers in the same household, both are expected to attend all the preparation meetings offered. If they miss more than two sessions they will be expected to repeat the entire course. If they miss only two sessions and have shown a good understanding of the issues covered in the other sessions it may be possible, if the manager agrees, for this material to be covered in the remaining home assessment.

Those running the meetings will arrange a time for debriefing shortly after the meetings take place and information from the meetings, including the prospective foster carers' evaluation forms, will be shared and form part of the assessment. A report by the facilitators of the meetings will be included in the assessment report presented to the Fostering Panel.

4. Application Forms and Checks

The CRB checks on the applicant and all members of the household and frequent visitors over 16 should be actioned by the clerical staff in Fostering Services who will write to the Criminal Records Bureau, the Social Care Department and OFSTED.

The applicant must be able to demonstrate that they have the right to work in the UK.

Where the applicant has made a previous application to foster or adopt, the relevant agency must be asked to confirm in writing the outcome of the application.

The staff of the Fostering Service will record the dates when all of the checks were sent and the dates when replies were received.

The replies to the checks should be placed in the confidential section of the case record.

Where the checks reveal that an applicant or member of the household is disqualified under the Regulations, an application can be made to the Fostering Panel for consent to the assessment proceeding if satisfied that the person is a relative of the specific child requiring a placement and that, on the basis of a completed risk assessment, it is appropriate for the assessment of the applicant as a foster carer to proceed having considered all relevant facts surrounding the circumstances of the disqualification.

See Person's Disqualified From Fostering Procedure.

5. Health

All applicants must agree to a written report being obtained from the GP on their health and any other relevant health issues. Written advice from the Medical Adviser to the Fostering Panel should be obtained and referred to in the report on the application to the Fostering Panel. Where the applicant's GP has expressed concerns or where clarification of the implications of any health issues is required, detailed advice must be sought from the Medical Adviser at an early stage and the implications fully discussed with the applicant and in the report.

6. Personal References

A minimum of two personal references must be obtained for each applicant from adults who have known the applicant in a personal capacity for at least two years, who are not related to them and who live within a reasonable travelling distance of the applicant. A third referee will also be requested from the applicant's wider family.

The clerical staff in the Fostering Service will send requests for typed references. Referees should provide a written reference and the fostering worker undertaking the assessment must interview them personally.

A reference must also be obtained from the applicant's employer where the applicant has been employed to work with children in any capacity, and from the schools where the applicant's children attend.

Previous partners of applicants and adult children living elsewhere will also be contacted and interviewed.

Where the applicant was in the forces, SSAFA will be contacted. Where the applicant lived abroad, overseas police checks will be required. Where the applicant worked abroad in a childcare capacity, an employer's reference will be required.

7. Home Study/Assessment

A fostering worker will be allocated to carry out a home study/assessment of the applicant.

The time taken to complete the assessment after the applicant has completed a formal application will generally be no more than 60 days unless the need for additional work with the prospective foster carers is identified.

(NB The National Minimum Standards 2011 state that the time taken to complete the assessment and present the report of the assessment to the Fostering Panel after a formal application has been received will be no more than eight months from the receipt of the application. The timescales in Coventry therefore are generally shorter than those required.)

Good practice would suggest that the home study/assessment starts after the preparation course. However, at present, the home study/assessment generally runs in parallel with the applicant's attendance at the preparation course.

Where the applicant is a relative, friend or Connected Person of the specific child requiring a placement, and the placement of the child with the applicant has already taken place, the assessment must be completed in 16 weeks of the placement, otherwise the placement cannot continue. The pre-placement assessment will contribute to the full fostering assessment. (For further details, please see Placements with Family and Friends/Connected Persons Procedure. In these circumstances the requirements relating to the prospective foster carer's attendance at preparation groups prior to the assessment can be waived. However, any requirement for ongoing training after the assessment period may be considered as a condition of approval. It is good practice for Connected Persons to be invited to attend preparation groups as soon as possible. Applicants may withdraw from the assessment process before it is completed. In addition, where an issue arises during the course of an assessment which requires a decision as to the future direction of the assessment and this cannot be resolved by discussion between the fostering worker and the applicant or by reference to the manager of the Fostering Service, this can and should be referred at an early stage to the Fostering Panel, for example where an applicant is disqualified - see above.

All assessments of potential foster carers will follow the format of the BAAF Prospective Foster Carers Report Assessments. Amongst other things, the carer’s should be assessed in terms of their ability to understand and deal with young people’s behaviour including their ability to encourage children to take responsibility for their behaviour and whether they can help them to learn how to resolve conflict.

The suitability of the accommodation must also be assessed to ensure it provides appropriate and safe for the child, as well as safe transport. (Each child over three must have their own bedroom or, where this is not possible, the sharing of the bedroom must have been agreed by the placing authority as part of the placement planning process – see Placements in Foster Care Procedure.

A health and safety checklist must be completed including an assessment of risk posed by any pets in the household.

Any issues that arise from the check should be recorded on the Report Form with an agreed plan of action established.

Visits to referees should follow the questionnaire provided.

The completed Prospective Foster Carers Report , which should contain the outcome of the assessment and recommendations of the fostering worker carrying out the assessment, should be shared with and signed by the applicant. This will be supplemented by the assessment summary of the applicant in the preparation groups. This assessment summary should also be shared with the applicant prior to presentation to the Fostering Panel. This gives the applicant the opportunity to make any comments for example by expressing disagreement or support for the recommendations. The applicant will be given 28 days in which to make any written observations and comments on the contents of the reports or, if he or she does not wish to take this period of time, he or she should be asked to sign a disclaimer form.

8. Presentation to the Fostering Panel

All the relevant information (incorporating the BAAF Form F, the applicant's comments, references, a full report on visits to the referees, full information about all the statutory checks, the Medical Adviser's report, the Health and Safety Questionnaire, Pet Questionnaire and Personal Development Plan) should be sent to the Panel Administrator 10 working days before the date of the Fostering Panel, which will consider the application. The Panel Administrator will require 11 copies of the report.

At the Panel meeting, the information will be presented by the fostering worker responsible for the assessment or a substitute with adequate knowledge of the applicant and the assessment.

The applicant may be present at the Panel if they so wish. In any event, their views and wishes must be presented fairly and accurately within the documentation before the Panel and verbally.

The Panel will consider the written report together with all the supporting documentation and any additional information presented verbally, and make a recommendation to the Agency Decision Maker regarding the outcome of the assessment.

The recommendation will be recorded in writing and, where approval is recommended, any limitations of the approval to named children (for example where the foster carer is a relative or family friend) or conditions as to the age range or number of children to be placed in the foster home will also be specified.

Reasons for the recommendations and any conditions will also be recorded in the Panel's minutes

9. After the Fostering Panel's Recommendation

After the Fostering Panel has considered the report and made a written recommendation, this will be sent to the Agency Decision Maker who will make a decision as to the approval of the foster carers based on the Panel's recommendation. Where the application is approved, the nature and any terms of the approval must be also specified in writing.

If a decision is made to approve a foster carer, written notice of the decision and the terms of the approval will be sent to the foster carer by the staff of the Fostering Service.

10. Representations/Review Procedure

If a decision is made to refuse an application for approval, written notice of the decision together with the reasons and a copy of the Fostering Panel's recommendation will be sent to the applicant within 7 days of the decision being made. The applicant will be advised that if he or she wishes to challenge the decision, representations should be submitted either in person to the next available Fostering Panel or in writing. In addition, as an alternative, they should be advised of their right to apply to the Secretary of State to request a review of the decision by an Independent Review Panel. Any such application must be made in writing within 28 days of the decision and supported by reasons.

The only circumstances where the foster carer will not have the right to request a review by an Independent Review Panel is if he or she is regarded as disqualified as a result of a conviction or caution for a specified offence - see Persons Disqualified from Fostering Procedure

The Panel Administrator must receive notification of the wish to attend Panel or any written representations within 28 days of the date of the written notice of the decision.

If no written notification or representations or request for a review are received within this period, the decision to refuse the application can be confirmed.

10.1 Representations

If written representations are made within the period, the matter must be referred to the Fostering Panel for further consideration. The Panel Administrator will advise the applicant when they can attend or their written representations will be considered. In these circumstances, a friend or supporter can accompany applicants who wish to attend the meeting of the Fostering Panel.

Where an applicant wishes to make representations in person, the Panel Chair may consider the Panel meeting as a smaller quorate sub-group.

After considering the representations, the Panel or sub-Panel will make further recommendations either confirming or amending their previous views and the Agency Decision Maker will consider these before a final decision is made.

Written notice of the final decision, together with reasons, must be sent to the applicant within 7 working days of the Panel meeting. A copy of the report to the Panel, the Panel's recommendation and the decision to refuse an application must be retained on the applicant's case record.

10.2 Review

If the applicant decides to refer the matter to an Independent Review, the relevant Panel reports, any new information obtained since the Panel meeting, a record of the decision made and reasons, a copy of the written notification of the decision and a copy of the Panel minute, if different, will be sent to the Independent Review within 10 working days of their written request.

The procedure for the Independent Review is carried out by BAAF; the applicant and two representatives of the fostering agency will be invited to attend the Independent Review.

After considering the representations, the Independent Review may make a recommendation, which the Agency Decision Maker will consider before a final decision is made.

Written notice of the final decision, together with reasons, must be sent to the applicant within 7 working days of the receipt of the Independent Review recommendation.

11. After the Approval

Where an application is approved, the foster carer will be allocated a fostering worker who may not be the same as the social worker who completed the assessment.

The allocated fostering worker will request the foster carer to sign a Foster Care Agreement between the Social Services Department and the foster carer, which contains the information the foster carer needs to carry out his or her functions as a foster carer effectively. The foster carer will be given two copies for signature, and will retain one signed copy. The other will be kept on the foster carer's case record, together with the report and supporting documents presented to the Fostering Panel, a copy of the Panel's recommendation and a copy of the approval decision.

The Foster Care Agreement will contain the following information:

1. The support and training to be provided to the foster carer;
2. The procedure for the review of the foster carer's approval;
3. The procedure for placements of children;
4. The procedure for making representations and complaints;
5. The requirement to inform the fostering service of any change of circumstance, address or in the household composition, or of any registration as a child minder or application to adopt or of any offence;
6. The requirements in relation to confidentiality;
7. The procedures for behaviour management and unauthorised absences of children placed with the foster carer including the ban on corporal punishment;
8. The procedures for informing the fostering worker of the child's progress and any significant events relating to the child;
9. The need to give 28 days' notice in writing of they wish to cease fostering.

New foster carers will also be given their personal copy of the Foster Carer Induction Pack/Hand-Book, which covers policies, procedures, guidance, legal information and insurance details.

The foster carer will also draw up with the assistance of the fostering worker 'Safe Caring Guidelines' setting out the routines and house rules for the foster home including how the foster carer rewards good behaviour within the home and when and how sanctions will be used.

The 'Safe Caring Guidelines' will be consistent with the Behaviour Management and Bullying policies and procedures contained within this Manual and will be available to social workers for children who may be placed in the foster home.

See Countering Bullying Procedure

The allocated fostering worker will continue to provide support to the foster carer up to, during and after all placements.

12. Register of Foster Carers

The manager of the Fostering Service will maintain a register of all approved foster carers containing the following particulars:

1. The name, address, date of birth, sex and ethnic origin of each foster carer;
2. The date of approval and of each review of the approval;
3. The current terms of the approval;
4. The skill levels assigned to the foster carer.

The Local Authority will maintain a register of the name, address, date of birth of each person with whom a child is placed under Regulation 38 who is a relative or friend (but not an approved foster carer) and who has entered an agreement to provide care for the child placed, together with the date and terms of the agreement

End